BUSINESSES in north Northumberland rely heavily on tourism – but if plans to site huge wind farms in the area come to fruition, many fear this income may dry up. Alastair Gilmour reports.

***********

THE Plough Inn at West Allerdean is a country pub “with views to die for”, according to landlord Trevor McArdle.

But those same views will lose much of their charm if a cluster of seven, 125-metre wind turbines are allowed to march across the magnificent landscape that unfolds between the pub and the Cheviot Hills.

“They’re going to be huge – it’ll be like taking the scenery away,” says Trevor. “We love it here; it’s nice and peaceful and things are going really well with the pub. Why would anybody want to spoil that view?”

Every owner of every small business in this part of north Northumberland is of the same opinion; they are not against new energy sources – most are extremely keen to find alternatives to fossil fuels – but not at the expense of such stunning scenery and their hard-fought livelihoods.

The equation is simple. If wind farms come, they’ll blight their surroundings; tourists will stop coming; the recent trickle of young people returning to the countryside will dry up; and locals could pack up and go, their dreams crushed under whirring white giants.

Trevor’s parents, Leo and Kay McArdle, settled in the area 11 years ago, Kay becoming a midwife in Berwick.

She says: “There’s no work around here, it’s all in tourism, in small pubs and B&Bs.

“Trucks will be coming day and night along tiny roads and not one single local person will be employed. We have a small caravan club touring site with a beautiful view of the Cheviots.

“You can see Holy Island from here, but if the proposal goes ahead it would completely ruin all that. They’re going to stand right outside the village and within earshot. The Government isn’t interested in the little people. I don’t think it has been properly evaluated. It’s really depressing.”

Kay believes the knock-on effect for other small local businesses will

be equally serious. “Trevor has won awards for his food. He uses all local suppliers.

“If the tourists stop coming, it’ll affect their businesses too. We help support the local economy and they support us. It’s going to affect our business, no doubt about it. We wanted to expand into the barn for accommodation, but we don’t want to now with all this hanging over us.”

Trevor’s wife Julie can barely hide her frustration. “Our holidaymakers open their curtains to that view every morning,” she says.

“When people first come into the pub, they’ll get a drink, sit down and say, ‘what an amazing view’.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Wind farms by numbers

£6,000,000
The amount turned down by Frank and Clare Dakin from energy companies looking to erect wind turbines on their farm at Duddo, Northumberland.

2
The number of kilometres recommended as a minimum “buffer” between a two-megawatt turbine and the nearest home. At Barmoor there would be 160 homes in such a zone.

10
The percentage of power from renewables electricity suppliers are required to find by 2010.

Page 2: We are subsidising the offers landowners can’t refuse